Electrical apparatus for timing clocks and watches.



W. E. PORTER. ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR TIMING CLOCKS AND WATCHES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27,1-908.

906,926. Patented Dqc. 15, 1908.

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W. E. PORTER.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR TIMING CLOCKS AND WATGHES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1908.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 27. 1908.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILSON E. PORTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO NEW HAVEN CLOCKCO., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR TIMING CLOCKS AND WATCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1908.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Serial No. 429,540.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILsoN E. PORTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in ElectricalApparatus for Timing Clocks and Watches; and I do hereby declare thefollowing, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings andthe letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactde scription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part ofthis specification, and represent, in

Figure l a view in elevation of a portion of the movement of amaster-clock such as may be used in conjunction with my invention one ofthe plates of the clock being broken away to show itscurrent-interrupting wheel. Fig. 2 a View in front elevation of atiming-mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention, it beingunderstood that a series of such mechanisms will be electricallyconnected with the master-clock. Fig. 3 a view of the timing-mechanismwith its front plate removed. Fig. 4 a plan view of thetiming-mechanism. Fig. 5 a detail View of the timing-mechanism lookingat its inner face of its back plate and showing its preliminary andfinal positioning slides. Fig. 6 a detail view showing the stop-disk,coacting shutter and the stopwheel of the timing-mechanism, togetherwith their immediate co-acting parts. Fig. 7 a detail view of the stopdisk. Fig. 8 a detail view of the clamping lever of the time-pieceholder.

My invention relates to an improvement in electrical apparatus fortiming clocks and watches from a master-clock.

Heretofore clocks and watches have been rated byeXpert workmen calledtimers, who compare by ear the beat of the clock or watch being timedwith the beat of a standard time-piece before them or within theirhearing, the problem of the timer being to adjust the hair-spring of theclock or watch being timed until the same beats in unison with thestandard time-piece. The timer must exclude as far as possible all othersounds from his ear so as to compare the beating of the standardtime-piece with the clock or watch being timed and as many timers workat the same bench the work becomes one of great nervous tension andvaries in accuracy according to the personal equation; the sense ofhearing is not alike in any two persons.

The object of my present invention is to simplify this work and make itmore accurate by giving it a more mechanical character providing for avisual comparison of the variations in the beating of the standardtime-piece and the piece being timed, whereby the personal equation ofthe timer is largely eliminated and the work done not only more rapidlyand accurately, but also with far less nervous strain.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the combination with amaster-clock, of a timing-mechanism provided with a rated pointer drivenin unison with the master-clock under the electric control thereof, arating pointer driven by the time-piece to be rated, means forpositioning the said pointers for starting them in unison and means forstopping them at a predetermined time for the purpose of comparison.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction andcombinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed outin the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ a master-clockwhich may be of any approved construction and which it is unnecessaryfor me to show in detail or to explain further than its provision with amake or break wheel 2 constructed andarranged as may be necessary tomake or break an electric circuit for every beat of the clock, thecircuit being made or broken on one beat, as the case may be. The teethof this wheel are engaged by a delicate contact-spring 3 mounted upon aninsulating block 4 secured to the movement plate 5 of the clock. A wire6 leads from the cont-act spring 3 to one pole of the battery 7 theother pole of which is connected by a wire 8 to a switch 11 connected bya wire 12 to the circuit-breaker in the form, as shown, of the sounderof an ordinary telegraph apparatus and consisting of an armature l3,amagnet l4- and contact points 15 and 16 respectively connected withwires 17 and 18 which form, as it were, main feed wires from which otherwires lead to all of the clock-like timing-mechanisms of the series. Awire 10 leads from the movement-plate 5 to the magnet 14; and places themaster-clock in the circuit. These clock-like timing mechanisms whichare all alike will ordinarily be placed at convenient distances apartupon the long bench at which the timers sit, each timer confining hisattention to the timing mechanism be fore him. All of these timingmechanisms will be operated in absolute unison from the master-clock sothat there will be no variations of beat between them. As thesetiming-mechanisms are duplicates of each other, it will be sufficientfor my present purpose to describe one of them.

Each timing-mechanism has a front plate 19 and a back plate 20corresponding to the front and back movement-plates of a clockmovementand each is provided upon its front plate with two corresponding dials21 and 22 arranged side by side and correspondingly graduated. As shownthe circle of each dial is divided into 30 spaces numbered 5, 10, 15,20, 25 and 30. The dial 21 is swept by a rated-pointer 23 which will,under the control of the master-clock, sweep the dial once in 30seconds. On the other hand, the dial 22 will be swept by a ratingpointer24 approximately once in 30 seconds but a trifle faster or a trifleslower according as the beat of the time-piece being rated is faster orslower than the beat of the master-clock. The said rated pointer 23 isfixed to the projecting forward end of a shaft or arbor 25 provided atits rear end with a heart-shaped preliminary positioning cam 26 and afinal positioning pin 27. The said arbor 25 has mounted upon its forwardend a hub 28 fixed upon it by means of screws 29 and carrying aspider-like friction spring 30 the arms of which engage with the forwardface of a wheel 31 having fine teeth which are engaged by a springdetent 32 in such manner as to prevent the retrograde movement of thewheel. This wheel is made fast to the forward end of a pinion 33 therear end of which carries an escapement wheel 34, normally turning thearbor from left to right by reason of being frictionally coupled withthe shaft through the medium of the spring 30. The shaft 25 is free,however, to be turned in either direction independent of the wheel 34 inthe preliminary and final positioning of the pointer 23 as will behereinafter described. The said escapement wheel 34 is actuated instep-bystep rotation from left to right to cause the rated pointer 23 tosweep over the dial 21 under the control of the master-clock. For thispurpose I employ a vertically reciprocating escapement-lever 35 formedat its upper and lower ends with slots 36 and 37 respectively receivingscrew studs 38, 39, entering the rear ends of horizontal posts 40, 41,secured to the front plate 19. The said lever is also formed with acentral clearance slot 42 through which the arbor 25 passes and providedat a point above and close to the said escapement wheel with anescapement pallet 43 and at a point below and close to the said wheel bya correspond- 35 it is provided with an operating-pin 45 engaged by theslotted inner end of a horizontally arranged rock-arm 46 secured at itsouter end to a rock-shaft 47 mounted in the movement plates 19 and 20. Aspring 46 connected at its lower end with the rock-arm 46 is connectedat its upper end with an arm 49 carried by a short stud 50 located abovethe arm 46, the said s ring exerting a constant effort to lift therock-arm 46 and hence the escapement lever 35. For the downward movementof the lever 35 it is provided upon its lower face with an armature 51located close to the poles of a magnet 52 mounted between the plates 19and 20 and energized in unison with the pulsations of the master-clockwhen the circuit thereof is completed through the timing mechanism towhich the current is led by wires 53, 54, leading from the main feedwires 17 and 18 before mentioned. The said wire 53 leads to aninsulating-block 55 supporting an arm 56 furnished with a contact pin 57coacting with a delicate contact spring 58 also secured to the block 55and engaged at its upper end by a finger 59 at the lower end of thecut-out arm 60 of a twoarmed lever the other arm 61 of which is a stoparm.

In order that the timing-mechanism may be automatically stopped after apredetermined interval so that the timer may compare the positions ofthe pointers 23 and 24 and note the variation in the latter from thestandard position of the former, I employ a stop-wheel 62 meshing intothe pinion 33 aforesaid and mounted upon an arbor 63. A collet 64rigidly mounted upon the said arbor carries a disk 65 having astop-notch 66 normally closed by means of an oscillat ing shutter 67interposed between the said disk and collet, a spring 68 connectedwit-l1 the shutter exerting a constant effort to hold it in the positionin which it closes the notch 66 in the disk 65. A stop-pin 69 mounted inthe disk 65 close to one edge of the notch 66 therein stops the shutterin its closed position. The said shutter projects ust enough beyond theedge of the disk for engagement incline or cam 71 coacting with a pin 72carried by the vertically movable preliminary positioning lever 78 whichis furnished at its upper end with a finger button 7 4 and formed withvertical slots 75 and 76 receiving stud 77 by which it is mounted uponthe inner face of the back movement-plate 20. A spring 78 connected withthe lower end of the lever and with the said plate 20, exerts a constanteffort to lift the lever which is furnished with a cam 79 for co-actionwith the heart shaped preliminary positioning cam 26 on the shaft 25 andwith a correspon-ding cam 80 which coacts with a heartshaped preliminarypositioning cam 81 fixed upon the rear end of an arbor 82, alsofurnished with a final positioning pin 83 corresponding to the pin 27before mentioned. The stop-arm 61 which is made in one piece with thecut-out arm 60 and oscillates therewith on the arbor 8 1, is furnishedat its lower end with a stop pin 85 which engages wit-h a finely toothedor roughened edge of a stop wheel 86 mounted upon the arbor 82 forstopping the timepiece being rated and hence the rating pointer 24 theinstant the pin drops into the stop-noteh 66 of the stop-disk 65.

For co-action with the final positioning pins 27 and 83 I employ ahorizontally ar ranged final positioning lever 87 having at its outerend a finger button 88 and formed with slots 89 receiving studs 90 bymeans of which the lever is mounted upon the inner face of the backmovement plate 20. A spring 91 connected with the lever 87 exerts aconstant effort to hold it in its retracted or projected position.- Thesaid lever is furnished with two downwardly depending arms 92 and 98,the former being provided with a stud 94 for coaction with the pin 27and the latter being provided with a stud 95 for coaction with the pin83. When the said lever is pushed inward against the tension of itsspring 91, its studs 94, 95 respectively engage with the pins 27 and 88and turn the arbors 25 and 82 against all frictional re straint, so asto bring the rated and rating pointers 23 and 24: into their zero orsetting positions over the dials 21 and 22 as shown 1n Iig. 2.

For the actuation of the arbor 82 upon which the rating pointer 24 isfixed, by

means of the time-piece to be rated, I apply to the projecting forwardend of the arbor a pinion 96 having a long split sleeve 97 which gripsthe arbor sufiiciently to transmit the movement of the time-piece beingrated to it but yields to permit the arbor to be turned independently ofthe said pinion. The outer end of the shaft 82 is supported by a bridge98 secured to parallel horizontal studs 99 projecting forward from theextreme upper end of a skeletonized plate 100 forming the main part ofthe time-piece holder and secured to and set forward from the movementplate 19 upon short pillars 101 receiving screw studs 102. The plate 100will be skeletonized or cut away according to-the clearance required forthe time-piece to be rated-whether that is a small clock or a watchmovement. As shown, the plate is furnished at its right end with alocking lever 103 hung upon one of the pillars 101 and furnished with anoperating handle 104, with an upper locking-arm 105 having a grippingfinger 106, and with a lower locking-arm 107 having a gripping finger108, the said fingers 106 and 108 being arranged to engage with one ofthe movement plates of the time-piece to be rated and beveled so as toseat the same firmly upon the plate 100 of the time-piece holder in suchposition that some wheel or pinion of the time-piece to be rated willmesh into the pinion 96 with the beats of the said time-piece.

Having now described my improved apparatus, I will briefly set forth themethod of using it.

The master-clock being located in any convenient position and connectedwith a series of timing-mechanisms such as described, they will havetheir rated pointers 23 actuated in unison with the beats of themaster-clock. As all of the timingunechanisms are just alike, the ratingof one time-piece by a timer will explain the use of all. The timerfirst applies the time-piece to be rated to the plate 100 of thetime-piece holder and clamps it in position thereon by means of thehandle 104: of the two-armed clamping lever 103, whereby one of thewheels or pinions of the time-piece to be rated is meshed into thetransmitting pinion 96 without, however, starting the rating pointer 24which is held by the engagement of the stop-pin 85 with the roughenedperiphery of the stop-wheel 86 on the rating arbor 82. The timer nowuses the finger-button 74 to depress the slide 76, whereby the pin 85 islifted from the wheel 86 by the riding of the pin 72 over the incline 70of the cut-out arm 60. As the arm 60 is swung from left to right, thepin 70 is lifted out of the stop-notch 66 in the disk 65 whereupon theshutter spring 68 immediately acts to actuate the shutter 67 in closingthe said notch, the shutter being thus brought into apposition to thepin 20 which engages with the edge of the shutter as soon as downwardpressure is removed from the finger button 74; and the spring 78 allowedto act and lift the slide 73. The engagement as described of the pin 70with the edge of the shutter 67 prevents the stop-pin 85 fromre'e'ngaging with the stop-wheel 86 on the rating-arbor 52 so that theoperation of the slide 7 3 has released the rating-pointer 24 to beoperated by the time-piece to be rated and has also released the trainof the rated pointer 23. The downward movement of the slide 7 3 alsopermits the contact spring 58 to engage with the contact pin 57, wherebythe timing mechanism is cut into the circuit of the master-clock everymake or break of which will now effect the actuation of the rock-arm 46and the escapement-slide 35 which will begin the actuation of theratedpointer 23 in unison with the beating of the master-clock. Therating and rated pointers 23 and 24 have now been started almostsimultaneously, but not with any accurate relation to each other to thetime of starting. Obviously no accurate comparison can be made betweenthe rate of movementof the two pointers except as they are startedtogether so that their divergence of performance may be used as meansfor adjusting the hair-spring of the time-piece to be rated. Just beforethe slide 7 3 reaches the limit of its downward movement its arms engagewith the preliminary positioning cams 26 and 81, whereby the arbors 25and 82 are rotated against the friction of the friction spring 30 andthe friction sleeve 97 causing the pointers 23 and 24 to assumecorresponding positions a few points to the left of the zero position.The horizontal positioning final lever 87 is now operated by its fingerbutton 88, whereby the pin 94 engages with the pin 97 and the pin 95engages with the pin 83, causing the arbors 25 and 82 to be rotatedagainst their frictions and the rating and rated pointers to besimultaneously brought to their zero positions on the respective dials21 and 22. This movement of the two pointers in no wise interferes withtheir operation by the master clock and the time-piece to be ratedrespectively except in the sense that both pointers are crowded aheadfaster than they would be otherwise operated. Both pointers having beenthus crowded ahead into absolutely corresponding positions, now starteven and the rating pointer 23 will lag behind or get ahead of the ratedpointer 24 according as the rated time-piece is running slower or fasterthan the master-clock. The two pointers are allowed to run together inthis way for two minutesthe time required for a revolution of the disk65. Before the disk completes a revolution, the slightly projecting edgeof its shutter 67 will en age with the pin 7 0 carried by the cut-outarm 60. From this instant, the shutter will be held against rotationwith the disk but the disk continuing to revolve will gradually bringits stopnotch 66 into registration with the pin 70 which will drop intothe said notch just as the disk completes its revolution. The instantthe pin drops into the notch the spring 109 on the arbor 84 acts toswing the lever from right to left whereby the stop pin 85 is engagedwith the stop-wheel 86 and the finger 59 engaged with the contact spring58 so as to lift it away from the contact point 57. Therefore the ratingand rated pointers will be simultaneously stopped, leaving theperformance of the time-piece to be rated recorded. upon the dials. Thetimer now adjusts the hair spring of the time-piece to be rated asrequired, and repeats the operation above described. This he does overand over until the rate of the time-piece to be rated is so nearly thesame as the rate of the master clock that the difference may be takencare of by its regulator in the ordinary way. Under no circumstancesdoes the timer expect to do more than to bring the regulation of thetime-piece within the scope of the correcting function of its ownregulator.

I claim:

1. In an electrical apparatus for timing clocks, the combination with anelectric circuit, of a master-clock, a timing-mechanism located in thesaid circuit and provided with a rated pointer driven in unison with themaster clock under the electric control thereof, a rating pointer drivenby the time-piece to be rated, means for positioning the said pointersfor starting them in unison, and automatic means for simultaneouslystopping the pointers at a predetermined time for the purpose ofcomparison.

2. In an electrical apparatus for timing clocks and watches, thecombination with an electric circuit, of a master-clock adapted tointerrupt the said electric circuit, a timingmechanism located in thesaid circuit and therefore electrically connected with the saidmaster-clock, having a rated pointer and mechanism electricallycontrolled by the pulsations of the master-clock for operating the saidrated pointer in unison therewith, a rating-pointer, means for actuatingthe rating-pointer in unison with the time-piece to be rated, means forpositioning the said pointers for starting them in unison, and automaticmeans for simultaneously stopping the pointers at a predetermined timefor the purpose of comparison.

3. In an electrical apparatus for timing clocks and watches, thecombination with an electric circuit, of a master-clock adapted tointerrupt the said electric circuit, a timing mechanism located in thesaid circuit and therefore electrically connected with the said masterclock, having a rated-pointer and mechanism electrically controlled bythe pulsations of the master-clock for operating the said rated pointerin unison with the beats of the master-clock, a rating pointer, atime-piece holder for the time-piece to be rated, means for transmittingthe beat of the time-piece to be rated to the ratingpointer, apreliminary positioning lever coacting with the two pointers, a finalpositioning lever also coacting with the two pointers and simultaneouslybringing them to zero positions for starting them in unison, andautomatic means for simultaneously stopping the pointers at apredetermined time for the purpose of comparison.

4. In an electrical apparatus for rating clocks and watches, thecombination with an electric circuit, of a master-clock adapted tointerrupt the said electric circuit, a timing-mechanism located in thesaid circuit and therefore electrically connected with the saidmaster-clock and having two dials, a rated and a rating pointerrespectively arranged to sweep the said dials, electrically controlledmechanism for actuating the rated pointer in unison with the beating ofthe master-clock, a time-piece holder, means for transmitting thebeating of the timepiece, when applied to the said holder, to the ratingpointer, means for positioning the two pointers so that they may startin unison without stopping either of them, the pointers beingfrictionally connected with the instrumentalities by which they aredriven,

and automatic means for simultaneously stopping the'pointers at apredetermined time for the purpose of comparison.

5. In an electrical apparatus for timing clocks and Watches, thecombination with an electric circuit, of a master-clock adapted tointerrupt the said electric circuit, a timing mechanism located in thesaid circuit and therefore electrically connected with the saidmaster-clock and havin a rated pointer, means connecting the saidpointer with the armature of a magnet, whereby the pointer is actuatedin unison with the movement of the armature, a rating pointer, atime-piece holder, means for transmitting the beats of a time-pieceapplied to the said holder, to the rating pointer, means for startin thetwo pointers in unison, the said pointers being frictionally connectedwith the instrumentalities by which they are driven so that they may bebrought into their starting positions without stopping the saidinstrumentalities, and automatic means for simultaneously stopping thepointers at a predetermined time for the purpose of comparison.

6. In an electrical apparatus for timing clocks, the combination with anelectric circuit, of a master-clock adapted to interrupt the saidelectric circuit, a timing mechanism electrically connected with thesaid masterclock and having a rated pointer electrically controlled bythe beats of the master clock, a rating-pointer, a time-piece holder,means for transmitting the beats of a time-piece applied to the saidholder, to the ratingpointer, means for positioning the said pointerswhereby they may be started in unison, and automatic mechanism forsimultaneously stopping both pointers at a predetermined time for acomparison of their rate of motion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses WILSON E. PORTER. Witnesses GEORGE DUDLEYSEYMOUR,

CLARA L. WEED.

